Lip guard



July 3, 1962 H. L. DAVIS 3,041,627

LIP GUARD Filed Feb. 10, 1959 INVENTOR HERSHEL DAVIS ATTORNEYS BYW ,9? #W' 3,041,627 LIP GUARD Hershel I... Davis, P.0. Box 476, Lakeland, Fla. Filed Feb. 10, 1959, Ser. No. 792,443 14 Claims. (Cl. 2-174) This invention relates to a lip guard or protector, and

more particularly to a guard which is held in the mouth of the user to prevent lip cosmetic from soiling garments as they are put on or taken off. The principal object of this invention is to provide an improved guard of the type described which can be conveniently and economically produced froma single foldable blank of sheet material, and whichcan be compactly stacked in final form in a dispensing container, so that a guard may be withdrawn and used without further assembly.

It is a related object of this invention to provide guards which can be compactly stacked ready for use in nested relationship to one another.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a finger grip integral with the guard for positioning the guard relative to the lips.

A further object is the provision of a guard which insures a tight seal between the lipsof the user and the skin adjacent the lips.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a guard which is convenient, economical, and pleasant to use.

These and other objects and advantages will be apparent during the course of the following description.

A preferred embodiment of the invention is shown in the accompanying drawing, in whichlike numerals are employed to designate like parts throughout, and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a plan view of the blank from which the preferred embodiment is made;

FIGURE 2 is a side view of the guard shown in position in the mouth of the wearer;

FIGURE 3 is a front view of the guard;

'FIGURE 4 is a plan view;

FIGURE 5 is a reduced cross-sectional view taken on line 55 of FIGURE 3; and

FIGURE 6 is an end view, partially in section, showing how the guards can be nested.

Referring more specifically to the drawings, the numeral 10 indicates as a whole a finished guard which can be made from a blank indicated at 11. Blank 11 can .be pressed or stamped in the shape shown in FIG- URE 1 from a single sheet of material. Any material capable of being folded may be used to form the blank, however either a thin or cardboard 'type paper is preferred. Preferably the material used is coated, impregnated, or otherwise treated with a substance having an enjoyable odor and/ or taste, so that the finished guardll is pleasant to use.

On the blank 11 the individual lip shields are shown at 12 and 14. While these shields may be identical,

the upper shield 12 is preferably shaped as to correspond more or less to the outline of an upper lip, while the lower shield 14 corresponds generally to the outline of a lower lip. Blank 11 is provided with a plurality of crease or fold lines to facilitate its shaping into a finished guard 10. One fold line 16 separates the upper and lower halves of the blank. Fold lines 18, of arcuate contour, define the lower edges of shields 12 and 14. Fold lines 20 extend diagonally across the upper and lower halves of the blank, thus defining flap elements 22 and generally triangular sheet element 24. A fastening tab 26 is preferably provided along one edge 28 of the lower sheet element, so that when blank 11 is folded along line 16 the upper half thereof maybe secured to the lower half Fr v sheets of material, one or either side of line 16, which would later be fastened together along at least one edge. Since this construction would necessitate an additional joining operation, however, the one piece construction is preferred.

Lip shields 12 and 14 may be embossed at 30'. It will be noted that the embossing 30 does not extend to the outer edge portion of the shields v12. and 14, which are curved rearwardly at 3 2 for a purpose to be hereinafter described. Em'bossing'30 is particularly desirable when guard 10 is formed from thin paper, as it lends additional rigidity to shields 12 and 14. Although the embossing is'illustrated as radial corrugations, any desired pattern-waflle, terraced, circular, etc.may be used.

, The blank shown in FIGURE 1 is formed into the guard seen in FIGURES 2-6 by folding the halves thereof together along line 1-6 and securing sheet elements 24 together at edge 28, folding flaps 22 along lines 20 so that each overlies its respective sheet 24, and folding shields 12 and 14 along lines 18 so that they project away from elements 24 and flaps 22.

On the guard thus formed, overlapping sheet elements 24 constitute a body member or. section 34. Body 34 extends forwardly, i.e away from the face of the user, from lines 20 to a point beyond shields 12 and 14. The portion of body 34 forward of the shields provides a gripping tab or surface which can be held for positioning the guard relative to the mouth.

Flaps 22 extend forwardly from lines 20* so that they overlie the rear portion of body 34, and shields 12 and '14 extend outwardly from flaps 22 and body 24. The flaps 22 and the rear portion of body 34 constitute a bite portion or surface 36 which may be inserted in the mouth of the user and gripped between the teeth or lips. When the guard is thus positioned for use, shields 12 and 14 will encompass the lips. To insure a tight seal between the lips and the skin immediately adjacent thereto, the outer edge portions of shields 12 and 14 curve inwardly at a fast changing rate of curvature, as indicated at 32.

It will be noted that sheet elements 24 define a pocket 38 within a finished guard 10. Pocket 38 will have at least one closed edge, and in the preferred embodiment is closed along both side edges 16 and 28, and open at both end edges. By slightly flexing the side edges of pocket 38 toward oneanother, the edges 20 of sheets 24 will be spread outwardly, so that the body 34 of another guard 10 can be inserted therein. This insertion is greatly facilitated by the generally triangular shapes of body 34 I and pocket 38.

FIGURE 6 illustrates how a plurality of guards 10 can be nested within one another in a suitable shipping con tainer or dispenser 40. The guards may be stacked with I flaps 22 overlying body 34, or extending outwardly at approximately right angles thereto. The former course, which is illustrated in FIGURE 6, permits more compact stacking. Whichever procedure might be used, a single guard ready for use can be easily withdrawn from container 40 by grasping the forward end of body 34 and pulling away from the stack. No further assembly is required, for even if a guard is stacked with flaps 22 at right angles to body 34, the flaps would spring into final position upon removal from the container, or be urged into position upon contacting the lips of the user as the guard 10 is inserted within the mouth.

It will thus be seen that there has been provided by this invention a lip guard which achieves the various objects and advantages hereinbefore set forth," along with many practical advantages.v y v I What is claimed: V

1. A lip guard comprising a body section having forward and rear edge portions, a pair of members connected to said body section and extending generally forwardly of the rear edge portion of said body section on opposite sides thereof to form a biting surface by their rear edge portions, the forward edge portion of each member being formed outwardly from the forward end of its rear edge portion to define individual lip shields.

2. A lip guard as in claim 1, wherein said body section comprises contiguous upper and lower sheet elements, and a dilferentone of said members extends forwardly from corresponding rearward edges of each of said sheet elements.

. 3. A lip guard as in claim 1, wherein central portions .of each said lip'shields are embossed, andthe outer edge portion of said lip shield is smooth.

4. A lip guard formed of a single sheettof material comprising a body section, said section having adjacent substantially coextensive upper and lower sheet elements, means for securing said sheet elements to one another, 'an

outwardly bent flap member extending forwardly from the rear edge of each of said sheet elements, an individual lip shield extending outwardly. from each of said flap members,, each of said lip shields being curved rear wardly at its outer edge, whereby a seal ismaintained between the lips and the skin adjacent the lips.

5. A lip guard as'in claim 4, wherein said material is treated so as to have pleasing odor and taste.

6, A lip guard. of the character described comprising "apair of individual lip shields, aflap member extending rearwardly from the inner edge of each shield, said flap members defining a bite surface to be held in the mouth of the wearena body section connected to the rear edges of said flap members, said body section extending forwardly 9 beyond said lip shields to provide a gripping portion for insertionand removal of the lip guard. V

7. A lip guard comprising a bodytsection defining a pocket open at at least one end, a pair of individual lip shields connected to' said body section and extendable outwardly on opposite sides of said body section to cause at least the central portion of each shield to extend outwardly intermediate the length of said body section, the arrangement being such that opposite ends of said body section respectively providebite and finger gripping surfaces.

, 8. A lip guard comprising a pair of individual lip shields,' gripping means extending between said shields to the front and rear thereof, and a pocket within said gripping means and open at at least one end.

9. A lip guard comprising a body section having at opposite ends a finger grip portion and a mouth bite portion, flap members extending from one end of the body section, said members overlying opposite sides of the mouth bite portion and reinforcing the same, and individual lip shields extending outwardly from opposite sides of the body section and between the portions thereof. Y a a 10. A lip guard as in claim 9, wherein the body section comprises contiguous sheet elements, ,and said elements define a pocket in the body section open at at least one end thereof. V I

11. A lip guard as in claim 10, wherein the edges of the body section taper inwardly from said open end.

12.. A lip guard as in claim 11, wherein said lip shields are integral with said flap members.

13; A lip guard comprising a body section having forward and rear edge portions, a pair of flap members connected to said body section and extendable'generally forwardly of the rear edge portion of said body section on opposite sides thereof to form a biting surface by their rear edge portions, the forward edge portion of each References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 221,564 Ingersoll Nov. 11, 1879 1,970,622 Petrucelly Q. Aug. 21, 1934 2,079,099 Barnett May 4, 1937 2,455,986 'Evenwell Dec. 14, 1948 2.640.991 Ernst June 9. 1953 

